Radcliffe's Crackdown

One of the most regrettable effects of the controversy over parietal regulations has been Radcliffe's decision to deal arbitrarily with girls caught violating the visiting hours at Harvard and other men's colleges. As a general rule, girls who break the parietal rules will now be asked to leave school; formerly, Radcliffe judged each case on its own merits, and penalties as severe as expulsion were rare.

The only justification advanced for the change is that the old system perpetuated a "double standard." In this case, however, a double standard may be desirable. The fact that Harvard treats those who violate its parietal hours with arbitrary harshness is no reason for Radcliffe to change its policy of deciding individual cases on an individual basis. The bureaucratic and disciplinary considerations behind Harvard's policy simply do not apply to Radcliffe. By attempting to conform to Harvard's practice in this instance, Radcliffe has sacrificed desirable flexibility.